While vanity, grooming, and pride in appearance are important traits, not necessarily limited to humans, the grooming of the human hair is an important daily activity for many people and has indeed, been so for a very long time. What has been recognized for a much shorter period of time is that substantially all of the currently practiced hair grooming techniques, albeit they improve appearance, actually damage human hair to some extent. In particular, the act of blow-drying, or otherwise heat treating hair is conventionally believed to damage hair. Often this damage will require more grooming in an ultimately futile attempt to improve the perceived appearance of the hair. An illustrative example of this sequence occurs when a person attempts to change the curliness, or waviness, of his/her hair.
By way of background, it should be noted that the hair is a special arrangement of hard keratin which develops by the reproduction of cells from the germinal distinctive structures known as follicles. As the cells move up the follicle, toward the skin surface, the amino acids (building blocks of all protein) contained therein join together to create the principal three components of the hair fiber. On close examination of the visible part of the hair fiber, it is found that these components or parts are arranged into three separate and distinct layers namely, the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla.
The cuticle is the layer on the outside of the hair shaft. It consists of hard, flattened, horny scales which overlap one another to the extent that five to seven scales are found in the length of one scale. In other words, at any point along the hair shaft the cuticle can be as many as seven scales in thickness, however, extreme cases have been found with as many as eleven layers. This gives a very strong, flexible arrangement, similar to that of the scales of a fish. The cuticle layer permits the waving of hair, but does not, by any means, cause this waving by itself.
The free ends of these overlapping, sloping, flat scales (called imbrications) point upwards and outwards in the direction of hair growth. If a strand of hair is rubbed lengthwise between the finger and thumb, the fingers will slide freely in the direction of the hair ends. This is because the imbrications, pointing toward the tip of the hair, facilitate movement in that direction. Greater resistance is encountered when attempting to slide the fingers toward the root. The arrangement of protruding scaly edges also allows for the easy removal, by brushing of undesirable material such as flaking skin or scalp cells, dirt particles, etc., which otherwise would accumulate on the scalp surface.
The function of the cuticle is to protect the more delicate cortex from injury. If the cuticle is damaged by excessive bleaching, permanent wave solutions or harsh chemicals, the cortex is exposed to injury. If steps are not taken to avoid further damage to the cuticle, the cortex could be destroyed or weakened. The cuticle is unusually resistant to chemical breakdown, but it cannot withstand careless treatment.
At the ends or tips of the hair shaft the cuticle is often dislodged or broken away. The cortex is thus open to the drying effects of air, leading to frayed and split ends, which look unsightly and ragged. For this reason alone, it is advisable to keep the hair trimmed in an effort to prevent this type of cuticle damage to the hair.
The cuticle scales act as tiny reservoirs in which the supply of sebum is maintained. If the cuticle was smooth, this vital oil would be easily washed or rubbed off. The natural sheen of healthy hair is primarily due to this coating of sebum on the cuticle and its complete loss could cause hair to become dull and drab.
Because of the projecting nature of the scales and their oil coating, the scales catch much dirt, debris, broken scales and other foreign matter. Frequent shampooing is necessary to keep the hair clean and hygienic. Removal of excess oils and dirt assists the proper penetration of permanent wave solutions, tints, or other hair products into the cortex. The cuticle is also used as a base for the deposit of hair sprays, lacquers, conditioners, fillers and other hair cosmetics.
The type of cuticle scales can vary widely from loose, open sales to tight, firm scales. The degree of porosity depends, to a large extent, on the nature of the cuticle surface. Whether the hair is porous or resistant depends on the type of cuticle it has.
The cortex is the most important layer of the hair and makes up from 75% to 90% of its bulk. In fact, it may be said that practically all the well-known behavior of human hair is due to this most important layer.
The physical properties of the hair which depend upon the cortex are: strength, elasticity, pliability, direction and manner of growth, size or diameter, texture and quality. The natural color of the hair is due to the pigment in the cortex. For a natural looking tint, it is necessary therefore to get cosmetic coloring matter into this layer.
The natural wave of the hair comes from physical changes in the cortex. These changes take place in the follicle before the hair is fully developed. Permanent waving, on the other hand, involves chemically induced changes in the cortex of mature hair. Curling, and all forms of hairstyling, depend for their results on artificial alternations to the structure of the cortex.
The physical structure of the cortex is very complicated. It is made of many millions of parallel fibers of hard keratin, often referred to as polypeptide chains. These parallel fibers are twisted around one another, something very much like heavy rope in appearance.
Because of the nature of the cortex, it gives the hair great strength and elasticity. In fact, it is claimed that human hair is stronger than copper wire of the same diameter. A single strand of hair, in good condition, will support a weight of approximately 5 to 7 ozs. The rate and direction of growth of hair is controlled by cell division at the papilla in the follicle.
At no other stage in history has the condition of the hair in the community been worse than it is today. Many unthinking and untrained persons try to do things to their hair for which it is wholly unsuited. Materials are available to supply the whims of everyone who desires changes in the hair. However, knowledge is required to insure their proper application and usage and to avoid a breakdown in the basic hair structure. The practitioner must know what can be done and what must not be done to the cortex and cuticle of the hair if permanent damage is to be avoided. It is the proper application of professional knowledge and skill which will help to eliminate or minimize damage to or loss of hair.
The medulla is the middle layer of the hair. It is made up of a column of cells, two or four rows wide. The medulla is not always a continuous part of the hair but it is frequently broken or even entirely absent from the hair shaft. This condition is often found in hair and it is suspected that the state of health and the taking of certain medicines has a direct bearing on its absence.
The purpose or function of the medulla is unknown. Hair does not seem to suffer when it is missing. It is made of soft keratin, whereas the cuticle and cortex are formed of hard keratin. Pigment of the hair is often found in this layer as well.
An understanding of the two main parts of the hair the cortex and the cuticle and their basic differences, that is, each layer performs separate and distinct functions is important to a clear understanding of the present invention. These distinctions in function have resulted in the separation into two structures which are composed of different arrangements of hard keratin. In the case of the hair we have a fine example of a biological marvel known as the "division of labor."
In other prior art approaches, Maes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,681 teach that a formulation of d-panthenyl ethyl ether and d-panthenol in a 9:1 ratio can be used to decrease the friction between hairs and facilitate the combing and brushing of hair treated by the formulation. Hair treated with this formula exhibits decreased damage, due to decreased hair friction. Newell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,067 discloses another attempt to mitigate the harm of perming and the like by the application of a carrier containing an amino acid and protein.
Finally, Lundmark, U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,285 teaches the application of a mixture of alantoin, panthenol and alcohol to the hair followed by heat.
As appears from the above, there is no known formulation or method in the prior art by which a hair treatment preparation is employed to repair damaged hair, while exhibiting high moisture retention and strengthening of hair. Further, none are able to use the heat of blow-drying to repair damaged hair, or exhibit high moisture retention and the strengthening of hair.
In general, the permanent waving of human hair involves, inter alia, the application of harsh solutions and intense heat, all of which has the propensity to damage both hard and soft keratin and impair the quality of the hair. Other treatments, such as bleaching and the like are also prone to deleteriously affect the quality of the hair.
Accordingly, a real need exists for something which can somehow counteract or defend against the adverse effects of conventional hair treatments and manipulation and even, if possible, coact with the adverse factors to create a beneficial effect for the hair being treated. It is toward the resolution of this need that the present invention is directed.